Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VIII.51 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
Indra, mighty lord of gods, we summon thee with praise and prayer.
Thou art the giver of all wealth, the dispeller of our foes.
Hear us, O thunderer of great renown, and grant us riches manifold.
Grant unto us, O Indra, thy protection and thy strength most sure.
That we may stand against all enemies who rise to work us harm.
Thou art the friend of those who pour the soma and who chant thy name.
With the sweetness of the milk-drink thou dost grow in power most vast.
Thy frame, O mighty one, doth swell with vigour never known before.
We praise thy deeds of old, O god, and ask that thou wilt aid us now.
For thou dost grant unto thy friends the treasure that they long to hold.
Silver and gold and herds of kine do flow from out thy generous hand.
Give unto us, O generous one, the riches that we ask of thee.
Thy thunderbolt is like the sun, it pierceth every clouded sky.
With it thou dost strike down the foes who lift their hands to work us ill.
Guard us from every harm, O strong one, with thy might that knoweth not defeat.
O Indra, thou art praised by all the singers who have ever lived.
They lift their voices up to thee and chant the deeds of thy great strength.
Accept our offering now, O god, and grant unto us thy reward.
Thou art the lord of both the gods and all the mortal men beneath.
No power can stand against thy will when thou dost move to bring it forth.
We cry to thee with voices raised, O Indra, hear us in this hour.
The days pass quickly as they come, and all must seek thy aid in time.
Grant us the blessing of thy strength so we may walk through life secure.
O father of the gods, descend and drink the soma that we pour.
Thy hands do overflow with gifts for those who give thee praise and song.
The singers who do lift their voice in hymns of honour unto thee
Do find in thee a friend most true, a protector firm and strong.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda VIII.51
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
yathā manau sāṁvaraṇau somam indrāpibaḥ sutam |
nīpātithau maghavan medhyātithau puṣṭigau śruṣṭigau sacā || 1 ||
pārṣadvāṇaḥ praskaṇvaṁ sam asādayac chayānaṁ jivrim uddhitam |
sahasrāṇy asiṣāsad gavām ṛṣis tvoto dasyave vṛkaḥ || 2 ||
ya ukthebhir na vindhate cikid ya ṛṣicodanaḥ |
indraṁ tam acchā vada navyasyā maty ariṣyantaṁ na bhojase || 3 ||
yasmā arkaṁ saptaśīrṣāṇam ānṛcus tridhātum uttame pade |
sa tv i1mā viśvā bhuvanāni cikradad ād ij janiṣṭa pauṁsyam || 4 ||
yo no dātā vasūnām indraṁ taṁ hūmahe vayam |
vidmā hy asya sumatiṁ navīyasīṁ gamema gomati vraje || 5 ||
yasmai tvaṁ vaso dānāya śikṣasi sa rāyas poṣam aśnute |
taṁ tvā vayam maghavann indra girvaṇaḥ sutāvanto havāmahe || 6 ||
kadā cana starīr asi nendra saścasi dāśuṣe |
upopen nu maghavan bhūya in nu te dānaṁ devasya pṛcyate || 7 ||
pra yo nanakṣe abhy ojasā kriviṁ vadhaiḥ śuṣṇaṁ nighoṣayan |
yaded astambhīt prathayann amūṁ divam ād ij janiṣṭa pārthivaḥ || 8 ||
yasyāyaṁ viśva āryo dāsaḥ śevadhipā ariḥ |
tiraś cid arye ruśame parīravi tubhyet so ajyate rayiḥ || 9 ||
turaṇyavo madhumantaṁ ghṛtaścutaṁ viprāso arkam ānṛcuḥ |
asme rayiḥ paprathe vṛṣṇyaṁ śavo 'sme suvānāsa indavaḥ || 10 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
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